Daughters & Sons

"How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child," exclaims William Shakespeare's King Lear. The fragility or strength of the bond between parents and their children is an eternally relevant theme in literature. In this study guide collection, we've put together texts that examine what it means to be a son or daughter.

Absolutely Almost

by Lisa Graff

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Shame & Pride, Friendship, Perseverance, Daughters & Sons, Childhood & Youth, Family

Tags Realistic Fiction, Disability, Parenting, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction

Lisa Graff’s Absolutely Almost (2014) is a middle-grade novel about self-acceptance and recognizing one’s own worth. The story follows 10-year-old Albie’s journey along this path. Albie has never been the best at anything, especially anything to do with school. He continually falls short of others’ expectations, especially his parents’. However, his new nanny, Calista, sees him differently—and gradually, she helps Albie discover his strengths and take pride in himself.Graff is an American writer who pens... Read Absolutely Almost Summary

A Complicated Kindness

by Miriam Toews

Publication year 2004

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Religion & Spirituality, Community, Loneliness, Fathers, Daughters & Sons

Tags Coming of Age, Depression & Suicide, Trauma & Abuse, Modern Classic Fiction, Canadian Literature, Religion & Spirituality

Miriam Toews’s A Complicated Kindness (2004) is about Nomi Nickel, an adolescent living in the religious Mennonite town of East Village whose coming of age takes place against the backdrop of her family’s unraveling. Toews, who grew up in the Mennonite community of Steinbach, Manitoba, is the author of several novels set in Mennonite communities, many of which are critical of aspects of the faith. This novel, Toews’s third, has garnered considerable acclaim and many... Read A Complicated Kindness Summary

A Devoted Son

by Anita Desai

Publication year 1978

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Daughters & Sons, Fathers

Tags Education, Education, Indian Literature

“A Devoted Son” is a short story by Indian author Anita Desai originally published in her 1978 collection Games at Twilight and Other Stories. The story is about the relationship between a father and son and examines how time and perspective can change the way actions and intentions are perceived. This collection also features another well-known story, "Games at Twilight," Varma is proud because his son, Rakesh, is at the top of the academic list... Read A Devoted Son Summary

Aeneid

by Virgil

Publication year -1

Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Daughters & Sons, Hate & Anger, Fate

Tags Mythology, Narrative Poem, Ancient Rome, Italian Literature

An epic poem composed by the Roman poet Virgil between the years of 29 and 19 BCE, the Aeneid represents one of the most important and influential works in Western literature. It centers on the story of Aeneas, a refugee from the Trojan War who was fated to found the Roman nation in Italy. This guide refers to the Oxford World Classic’s edition of the Aeneid, translated by Frederick Ahl. All study guide citations refer... Read Aeneid Summary

A Game of Thrones

by George R. R. Martin

Publication year 1996

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Politics & Government, Loyalty & Betrayal, Love, Hate & Anger, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Masculinity, Femininity, Grief, Wins & Losses, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Justice, Social Class, War, Economics, Siblings, Mothers, Fathers, Marriage, Family, Daughters & Sons, Appearance & Reality, Friendship, Disability, Gender Identity, Birth, Childhood & Youth, Death, Coming of Age, Future, The Past, Truth & Lies, Trust & Doubt

Tags Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Social Class, Politics & Government, Religion & Spirituality, Trauma & Abuse, Grief & Death

A Game of Thrones is a 1996 epic fantasy novel by George R. R. Martin and is the first in his long-running A Song of Ice and Fire series. The novel introduces the audience to the fictional world of Westeros, where characters become embroiled in a complicated web of plots, conspiracies, and betrayals as they pursue power. A Game of Thrones won numerous awards on publication and was adapted for television in 2011. This guide... Read A Game of Thrones Summary

A Gathering of Days

by Joan W. Blos

Publication year 1979

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Joy, Childhood & Youth, Daughters & Sons

Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, World History, Classic Fiction

A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl’s Journal, 1830-1832 is the best-known book by children’s author and educator Joan W. Blos. The novel is presented as the fictional journal of Catherine Hall, a young girl living in New Hampshire before the Civil War. Through Catherine’s journal entries, the novel portrays the daily life, challenges, and changes in a young girl’s world over two years, including personal loss, the complexities of friendship, and an encounter... Read A Gathering of Days Summary

A House for Mr. Biswas

by V. S. Naipaul

Publication year 1961

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Shame & Pride, Revenge, Birth, Mental Health, Aging, The Past, Death, Childhood & Youth, Midlife, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Marriage, Religion & Spirituality, Fate, Equality, Power & Greed, Loyalty & Betrayal, Trust & Doubt, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Self Discovery, Literature, Economics

Tags Historical Fiction, Life-Inspired Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Poverty, Finance, Depression & Suicide, Social Class, Colonialism & Postcolonialism, Indian Literature, Asian Literature, World History, Classic Fiction

A House for Mr. Biswas is a 1961 historical fiction novel by V. S. Naipaul. The story takes a postcolonial perspective of the life of a Hindu Indian man in British-owned and occupied Trinidad. Now regarded as one of Naipaul's most significant novels, A House for Mr. Biswas has won numerous awards and has been adapted as a musical, a radio drama, and a television show. Naipaul is also known for the works The Mimic... Read A House for Mr. Biswas Summary

Ali Cross

by James Patterson

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Fathers, Daughters & Sons, Community, Truth & Lies, Perseverance

Tags Children`s Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Action & Adventure

... Read Ali Cross Summary

Almost a Woman

by Esmeralda Santiago

Publication year 1998

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Daughters & Sons

Tags Coming of Age, Gender & Feminism, Immigration & Refugeeism, Women`s Studies, Biography

Esmeralda’s family relocates from Puerto Rico to Brooklyn in 1961, when Esmeralda is 13 years old. On the cusp of womanhood, Esmeralda receives warnings from her family members, and especially her mother, Mami, to watch out for the many algos or dangers lurking in the city. Struggling to adjust to city life in Brooklyn, Esmeralda misses Puerto Rico, and she dreams of the day when she will return. Initially put into remedial classes because she... Read Almost a Woman Summary

American Pastoral

by Philip Roth

Publication year 1997

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fathers, Daughters & Sons, Justice, Fate

Tags Historical Fiction, American Literature, Relationships, US History, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction

American Pastoral (1997) by Philip Roth examines in detail one man’s quest for the American dream and the fragility of the entire enterprise. Roth, one of the most critically acclaimed novelists of the 20th century, focuses his narrative microscope through the eyes of Nathan Zuckerman, his literary alter ego from whose perspective he has written 10 other novels, including Zuckerman Unbound (1981), The Anatomy Lesson (1983), The Human Stain (2000), and The Plot Against America... Read American Pastoral Summary

A Pale View of Hills

by Kazuo Ishiguro

Publication year 1982

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Daughters & Sons, Gender Identity, Mothers

Tags Historical Fiction, Gender & Feminism, Immigration & Refugeeism, British Literature, Japanese Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Asian Literature, World History

A Pale View of Hills (1982) is Kazuo Ishiguro’s first novel. Born in Nagasaki in 1954, Ishiguro immigrated with his family to the United Kingdom when he was five years old. Despite his family’s Japanese origins, the author frequently states in interviews that his experience with Japanese culture is very limited, as he spent all his adult life in England. Simultaneously, however, growing up in a Japanese family developed in Ishiguro a different perspective compared... Read A Pale View of Hills Summary

Apeirogon

by Colum McCann

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Death

Tags Historical Fiction, Military & War, Politics & Government, Trauma & Abuse, Grief & Death, Middle Eastern History, Social Justice

... Read Apeirogon Summary